### Chapter 133: The Urge to Kill

Everything that had happened in the valley was something He Song had anticipated long ago.

Years earlier, when he had first come to cultivate the spirit fields, he had considered the possibility of other cultivators intruding.

That was precisely why he had expanded the range of the Maze Formation and concealed the Five Elements Formation within it.

This way, anyone attempting to break in would first be trapped in the Maze Formation. Under its effects, most cultivators would instinctively leave the area.

Only if the Maze Formation failed to deter them, or if they had some means to bypass it and reach the Five Elements Formation, would the latter activate its attacks.

However, He Song had not expected that, despite his precautions, a cultivator would still die under the Five Elements Formation he had set up.

As he hesitated over whether the valley could still be used, the appearance of a message paper crane instantly put him on guard.

In the distance, a message paper crane descended silently and landed just outside the Maze Formation.

He Song, still armed with his magical tools, scanned the surroundings with a wary gaze.

After confirming that no other cultivators were nearby, he approached the crane and extended his hand, releasing a trace of his aura to activate it.

But when his aura touched the crane, instead of transforming into a sheet of paper as expected, the crane remained glowing brightly, its spiritual light undiminished.

He Song's caution immediately peaked. Instinctively, he retreated swiftly, returning to the safety of the Five Elements Formation.

At the same time, he prepared several high-grade Earth Talismans, ready to activate them at a moment's notice to protect himself.

Once back within the Five Elements Formation, He Song scanned the area again but found no signs of other cultivators or any imminent attacks.

His gaze returned to the paper crane, and a sense of foreboding grew in his heart.

"This place is no longer safe. That message crane is likely here to find the dead cultivator. I don't know if someone will follow its trail and come here," he thought.

Glancing at the vast expanse of withered spirit rice in the valley and the still-glowing message crane outside the Maze Formation, He Song quickly decided to destroy the area and abandon the spirit fields altogether.

If the message crane remained unanswered, the friends or family of the deceased might trace it back to this location.

Rather than continuing to cultivate spirit rice here and live in constant fear, it would be better to abandon the valley and find another place to start anew.

This way, he could distance himself from the death of the intruder and ensure that the formations in the valley remained undiscovered.

With this in mind, He Song stopped paying attention to the message crane and instead focused on using his Object Manipulation Art to uproot all the withered spirit rice in the fields.

As for the crane, he decided to leave it untouched.

If someone came looking and found the crane destroyed, they might immediately suspect foul play.

By leaving it alone, he could avoid drawing attention to himself.

Outside the Maze Formation, the glowing message crane remained in place.

Inside, He Song used his Object Manipulation Art to uproot all twenty acres of withered spirit rice.

He then set the dried plants ablaze, reducing them to ashes, which he collected into his storage pouch for disposal later.

After this, he began leveling the land, restoring the valley to its original state.

Just as he was erasing the traces of the spirit fields, another message crane descended from the sky and landed outside the Maze Formation.

Seeing this, He Song's expression darkened, and he quickened his pace in clearing the area.

Using his Object Manipulation Art, he churned and compacted the twenty acres of land that had once been his spirit fields. He then scattered weed seeds across the freshly turned soil.

In ten days to half a month, the weeds would grow and cover the land, making it indistinguishable from the surrounding valley.

The spiritual energy that had once infused the fields had already dissipated after the spirit rice withered and the Spirit Gathering Formation lost its effect.

Now, the twenty acres were nothing more than ordinary land.

As He Song finished his work, a third message crane landed outside the Maze Formation.

This repeated appearance made it hard for He Song not to suspect that the friends or family of the deceased were using the cranes to track their missing companion.

Judging by the timing of the cranes' arrivals, they were likely getting closer.

If He Song left now and dismantled the Maze and Five Elements Formations, the freshly turned soil would expose his identity as a formation master.

The disturbed land might lead the newcomers to suspect that he was hiding something, possibly connecting him to the twenty acres of spirit fields he had cultivated.

The fact that the deceased's body was found within the same area would only add to the suspicion.

Unable to find He Song, they might spread the news far and wide, leading to a relentless pursuit.

The thought of being hunted by countless people made He Song's expression darken.

After some consideration, he sped up his work but chose not to dismantle the formations. Only after completely erasing all traces of the spirit fields did he finally relax.

He then sank into the ground and traveled away from the valley.

Underground and using his Breath Concealment Art, He Song had no fear of being detected. Even so, he traveled several miles away before cautiously emerging in a hidden spot.

From there, he looked back toward the valley and sighed.

"If only you had come a little later, maybe ten days or half a month, when the valley had returned to its original state, things might have been different."

A killing intent rose in He Song's heart, and several plans flashed through his mind. If the newcomers were too powerful, even if they discovered his formations and spirit fields, he would have to flee immediately.

Before the news spread, he could sell off the 110,000 pounds of spirit rice he had stored.

(End of Chapter)

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